Nights Like This
by Jupiter Queen
Summary: Even when Nikki returns, nights with her friends are still rowdy. Hot gossip over tequila shots? Impromptu dance lessons? Expired nacho cheese? Late night conversations about aliens and the future? Nothing's truly changed. (One-shot.)


_**Warning:**_ _Contains profanity, drug/alcohol use, sexual references… all the signature elements of a Jupiter Queen fic._

 _ **A/N**_ _: I wanted to write a fic about the gang being crazy, fun, and free, because that's how they are when they all hang out. And I can imagine that they'd only get rowdier post-series. This fic was lowkey inspired by Truccy's "See You Undone," a really great one-shot which really captures the friendship dynamics of the gang._

 _There's nothing heavy or intense about this fic; it's a slice-of-life story, not unlike the actual show. Also it's one of my longest one-shots. Anyways, hope you enjoy this!_

* * *

"I'm _so_ hype for drunk squad night," Jonesy said with a broad grin on his face.

"More hype than usual?" Jen asked with a knowing look as she parked on Caitlin's cobblestone driveway.

"Of course," he said, briefly placing his hand over Nikki's in the backseat. "My baby's finally here again."

"And not a moment too soon," Nikki added, making eyes at Jonesy before taking off her seatbelt.

After a year and a half in Nunavut, Nikki was back in Toronto tonight, officially coming back to the area a couple weeks ahead of her freshman year of college. It was a long time coming, but, once the gang found out she would be back, they impatiently counted down the days. Jonesy and Jen, however, had the honor of picking Nikki up from the airport, since she'd be staying with them until she moved into her dorm.

"Well, it could have been a _little_ sooner," Jen nitpicked.

Nikki shrugged before opening the car door and stepping onto the driveway. Jonesy and Jen followed suit and they walked towards the front door. Seconds after Jen rang the doorbell, they were greeted by a grin and a squeal.

"NIKKI!" Caitlin shouted while pulling her into a rib-crushing hug.

Despite her inability to properly breathe, Nikki gave her a strained smile and managed to say, "I missed you too, Blondie."

Upon letting Nikki go—giving her a chance to catch her breath—Caitlin said, "I am so happy you're back! And, OMG, your hair!"

Nikki chuckled as Caitlin ran her fingers through her hair, now dyed black (save for a plum-purple streak in the front) and sweeping against her shoulders. "Yes, Cait, I switched up my hair. I should really be saying the same thing about yours, though," Nikki commented. She noted how Caitlin's blonde hair swept against her own shoulders in curls. "Now, are we gonna talk out here until sunset or can we actually come in?"

"Oh, right," Caitlin blushed, ushering her friends inside.

The lovefest only continued when Jen, Jonesy, and Nikki walked into the living room, finding Wyatt and Jude standing up, ready to ambush Nikki with warm welcomes.

"Bra, you don't know how much I've missed ya," Jude confessed as he hugged Nikki, the top of her head brushing against his scruffy chin. "It's been so different without ya here."

Nikki chuckled, catching a whiff of something strong as soon as he embraced her. He smelled like marijuana, one of many indications that she was home. "I've missed you too, Jude. Iqaluit felt like another planet without you guys."

Once she broke away from him, Wyatt met her with a cozy hug next.

She deeply inhaled the aroma of cappuccinos and coffee grinds. It furthered reminded her that she was home. "You're the only person I know who smells like a coffeehouse 24/7."

With a brief laugh, he replied, "That's because I basically live in a coffeehouse, remember?"

She parted from him. "Very true. Also hard to forget."

"Hey, don't I get a hug, too?" Jonesy's voice interrupted, causing his girlfriend to turn around.

Nikki playfully rolled her eyes at him. "Didn't I practically make out with you at the airport already?"

He approached her with a flirty gaze. "Well, now we could _actually_ make out this time."

"Mmm, maybe later," she said. "Besides, I'm starving."

On that note, he turned his attention to Caitlin and asked, "Hey, dollface, where's the food?"

"It's in the kitchen—let me bring it out!"

"I'll help ya, bra," Jude said. "I feel the munchies coming on."

Jonesy laughed. "Dude always shows up stoned and ready to eat."

Jen chuckled beside him. "I'd be concerned if he _didn't_."

With sodas, pizza, and chicken wings crowding the coffee table, it was time for another "drunk squad night" (as Jonesy so loving called it) to commence. The gang had been spending Friday or Saturday nights like this often, meeting at someone's home—one with scarce or no parental supervision—to drink alcohol, tell crazy stories, eat until their stomachs ached, and make the most of the night in a way that only they could. Usually Jude's home or the Masterson-Garcia household were the usual hangout spots for such a night, but, seeing that Caitlin's mansion would be free of her parents for the weekend _and_ Nikki would be returning, it wouldn't make sense for them to pass up on the opportunity to use it.

Jonesy scarfed down buffalo wings and multiple slices of Hawaiian pizza, washing it down with a mixture of two sodas. "Can't drink on an empty stomach," he said, talking with food in his mouth.

"I feel you," Jude said with half-chewed pizza stuffed in his face. "I made that mistake once. Got super hammered."

"Oooh, tragic," he replied, shaking his head.

"Can both of you swallow before you say another word?" Jen asked, side-eyeing both of them.

"Yeah, I'm all for hearing you two talk again, but I'm not up for hearing your food talk, too," Nikki said.

Both boys begrudgingly shut up and complied.

Nikki sipped her soda and said, "Ah, that's more like it. It's good to be back."

"So, Caitlin, what do you have planned for tonight?" Wyatt asked. The gang always left it to the "host" to decide the night's activities… unless they seemed boring. Then the rest of the gang could veto the host's decision. (It was as political as they got on nights like this.)

As she set down her empty plate, Caitlin said, "So, I've got some funny movies I found on Netflix, a really good playlist with songs I know you guys adore, _and_ a cute drinking game."

"With all those things in your itinerary, I'm starting to think I've rubbed off on you," Jen noted with a giggle.

"Oh, of course! I totally get it from you," Caitlin said with a grin.

Jonesy nudged Nikki on the couch and whispered in her ear. "I know who _I'd_ like to rub off on."

"Maybe if you're good, I'll let you," she whispered back, caressing his stubbly cheek.

Jonesy smirked just as Jude asked Caitlin, "So, what are we gonna do first, bra?"

She paused, giving his question some thought. "How about our drinking game?"

Wyatt sighed. "Is this gonna be another game of Never Have I Ever?" He dreaded the game once it turned into sex-heavy confessionals because Jonesy would _always_ pick on him.

"Yeah, cuz every time we play that game, you guys always seem to pick on me about stuff and I always end up drunk first," Jude said with a frown.

"You have to admit you've done some crazy shit," Jonesy remarked.

Jude smiled a little. "Okay, that's accurate."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I've got something different for us to play," Caitlin said. She went to fetch a bottle of tequila, pouring some in everybody's cup. "We're playing Most Likely. Everyone has to go around and ask who would be the most likely to do something. The person who's pointed at by the most people has to drink up. Simple. So… who wants to start?"

Wyatt offered. "I might as well get this over with. Who's most likely to get arrested for streaking out in the open?"

Jonesy found himself bombarded with finger-points. "Seriously?"

"Hey, you've shown your ass in public before," Nikki teased. "Drink up, Casanova."

He rolled his eyes and knocked back his tequila, letting it singe his throat. "Really puts some hairs on your chest."

Wyatt looked to the left of him, indicating that it was Jen's turn. "Oh," she said, "who's most likely to binge Netflix all night?"

Jude spaced out until he noticed everyone motioning towards him. "Okay, true." He chuckled and gulped his drink. "I kinda stayed up last night watching Zombie Slayer IV anyways."

"Figured as much," Wyatt commented.

After he spoke, Caitlin's turn came up. "Hmm… who's most likely to accidentally get locked out of their house?"

Everyone snickered and pointed to Jude again.

"No fair, this is turning into Never Have I Ever again," he pouted before taking another tequila sip.

"Not to mention these questions are boring. Come on, guys—let's make shit interesting," Jonesy pleaded.

"Well, since it's your turn, what do _you_ want to ask?" Jen questioned her step-brother.

"I've got something," he replied with a devilish smirk, cutting his eyes at Wyatt. "Who's most likely to bang a popstar?"

Nobody pointed except for Jonesy, who was fixated on making Wyatt drink and confess something.

"Why exactly are we supposed to point at Wyatt?" Nikki asked in a deadpan voice.

"Because a certain hot singer DM'ed him the other day. Isn't that right?"

Wyatt's cheeks grew warm as he dodged curious stares from the gang. "This is what I get for talking to Jonesy."

"Oooh! Are you still talking to Kylie Smylie?!" Caitlin asked, her face lighting up with the realization, reminded of Wyatt's infatuation with her ages ago.

"She started talking to me," he corrected sheepishly.

"Oooh, I want _all_ the details," Jen said as she leaned in. A conversation about one of her favorite pop singers? She was _totally_ here for this.

Wyatt sighed. "So, Kylie started following me on Instagram recently and she sent me a message the other day. She really wants to hang out with me next time she's in the city."

"But what about her dad? Isn't he gonna kick your ass if you're hanging with her?" Nikki asked.

"That's the best part," Jonesy interjected. "He's _not_."

"Really?" Caitlin asked.

"He's eased up on the 'dating at twenty-one' thing," Wyatt said. "Now it's at 'dating at eighteen.'"

"And, _what_ a coincidence, you two are both eighteen. You know what that means," Jonesy said as he made a lewd hand gesture.

"I'm not getting with her to sleep with her, Jonesy." Wyatt rolled his eyes. He almost let Jonesy get away with his crassness again before finally having a comeback for him. "You're awfully concerned with what may or may not be happening with my sex life, though. It's almost like you're trying to compensate for something."

Nikki snorted as Jonesy grew flustered.

He retorted, "Well, at least I already have a girl!" His voice softened. "I just got a little lonely without her…"

"Aww," Jen, Caitlin, and Jude chorused.

Nikki simply chuckled and kissed Jonesy on the cheek. "Tired of sleeping around with tissues and hand lotion, huh?"

As the gang laughed at Jonesy's expense, his eyes widened. "So, let's get back to Wyatt, shall we?"

"Hmm?" Wyatt asked.

"You heard me," he said, his bravado returning. "So, since my question was about banging popstars and _you're_ the only one who's close to having that chance—it's time to drink up, amigo."

"Fine," he complied.

"Attaboy," he said as Wyatt cast a dark look in his direction.

"Your turn, Nikki," Caitlin said.

"Okay," she replied, sitting in silence until she came up with something. "How about this: Who's most likely to get fired from a job within the first five minutes of it?"

Everyone's index fingers pointed at Jonesy in an instant, causing him to yell, "Oh, come on! That was a cheap shot and you know it."

"Oh, I know, loverboy. I had to help get you back for Wyatt's sake," Nikki said as she grinned at Wyatt.

"At least I can count on you to always have my back," Wyatt said to her.

"Like I've never had your back before, bro?" Jonesy asked.

"Name one time where you've actually done something nice for me," Wyatt deadpanned.

He squinted his eyes as he dug through the recesses of his mind. "Okay, I've got one. Remember when I fired myself from Burger McFlipsters so you wouldn't have to? I straight-up told you that you deserved to bag all the hotties that came to hear you sing."

"Okay, okay. But Nikki still has my back more than you do."

"Well, Jude's got me—isn't that right, bro?" Jonesy asked him.

"Of course. 'Specially 'cause we might be drunk before everyone else," Jude replied.

"Yeah, especially since everyone wants to betray us," Jonesy said.

"Oh, boohoo," Nikki said while pretending to cry and give a shit. "Jude, it's your turn."

"Mmkay," he said, sticking his tongue out as he thought. Soon, a laugh escaped his lips. "Who's most likely to get caught getting _fuh-reaky_?"

Caitlin, Jen, Wyatt, and Jude himself all giggled and pointed in Jonesy and Nikki's direction.

"Jude!" the couple exclaimed.

"It was the first thing I could think of," he said as he shrugged.

"And probably accurate," Caitlin added.

"Oh, it _is_ ," Jen said. "And somehow I'm the one who always catches them in the act." She shuddered, trying hard to forget every makeout session and steamy romp she'd ever walked in on.

"Jen, that's voyeurism," Jonesy said.

She flinched. "Not if it's accidental. Now drink up, step-bro."

He sighed and took another shot, knowing that he really would be buzzed first. Nikki followed suit and drank since she was pointed at, too.

The game continued to head in this direction, with the gang posing ridiculous, hilarious, and borderline obscene questions to each other for another two rounds until tipsy off tequila, liquor-induced warmth taking over their bodies. Though they lost track of who had "won" Most Likely—Jonesy and Jude were neck-and-neck with the most shots taken—their conversation quickly slipped into drunken nostalgia as they reminisced on the crazy happenings in their lives.

"Okay, I think we've talked enough about stuff I was here for," Nikki said. "What'd I miss when I was gone?"

In the year and a half that she was gone, it wasn't as if she missed anything too major; she was still informed on the bigger-picture details in life—such as Wyatt reforming his band with Marlowe (who still remained a good friend of his), Caitlin doing a summer internship with a fashion magazine, Jen becoming class valedictorian and getting a full-ride scholarship to attend her dream school, Jude meeting one of his skateboarding idols (and also deciding to take a gap year), and Jonesy enrolling in school with the intent to study economics (because he wanted to learn how his money made money).

"Ooh, Serena tried tricking Wyatt into dating her again!" Caitlin exclaimed.

Nikki raised an eyebrow. " _Tricking_? I'm interested."

Wyatt sighed before elaborating, realizing that he never relayed this incident to Nikki. "She pulled another one of those 'I'm lonely on New Year's Eve' stunts. And I almost gave in out of sympathy, but I didn't want to go into the new year with a pity date. I refuse to let her play me again."

Jonesy began applauding. "That's my bro—out here growing a spine for once."

"Thanks, Jonesy… I guess."

" _De nada_ , fam."

"Girls really confuse me… or at least Starr really does," Jude slurred, his high and his buzz encouraging him to speak the thoughts weighing on his brain. His ex-girlfriend's latest subculture switch wasn't shocking, but rather interesting. "Now that she's all super preppy, I'm just so lost."

"She's reinvented herself more than Madonna and Cher!" Caitlin exclaimed, briefly throwing her arms in the air. After a brief pause, she conceded, "Although, her outfits lately have really been on point. The skirts she wears are to _die_ for!"

"But if ya die, then you'll never get to wear 'em, bra," Jude said.

"Ooh, good point."

"Dude, I thought you were over Starr," Jonesy said, shifting back to the original subject. "Isn't that why you got with _Celeste_?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. He was the king of revealing new information tonight, apparently.

"Who's Celeste?" Jen asked, aiming a playful smirk in Jude's direction. Nosy tendencies died hard.

"A super hot surfer chick I met this summer." A goofy, awestruck look appeared on his face as he thought about her wavy brown locks, her naturally tan skin, and her lips so skilled at kissing. She was his babe with a board.

Nikki snorted. "Where do people surf around _here_?"

"Well, she's from Florida, but she told me she stays up here with her fam in the summer and stuff."

"Sounds like a fling to me," Caitlin said.

Jude's silence confirmed her suspicions.

Her face evolved into surprise. "OMG, you had a fling!"

"Nice, dude!" Jonesy exclaimed, high-fiving his best friend.

"So, I take it that it won't be long-distance," Nikki commented.

Jude paused to gather his thoughts. "Well, we agreed that if we're not seein' other people when she comes back that we'll hook up again 'n' stuff."

"Y'know what? I'm proud of my bros tonight," Jonesy boasted. "Jude's got himself a babe on speed dial and Wyatt's got the balls to let go of his ex."

Nikki rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "Okay. Enough about what the guys are up to—what's been going on with my girls?"

Caitlin's lips downturned into a frown. "Remember my friend Andrea?"

Nikki sifted through fuzzy memories. She vaguely remembered meeting a lanky redhead at Caitlin's house long before she left for Iqaluit. Something about that girl didn't sit right with her, though. "Oh, yeah, I remember her. She was… interesting, to say the least."

"Well, she was a _total_ backstabber," Jen interjected, recalling the story that Caitlin had told her after everything with Andrea had imploded.

Caitlin sighed. "Understatement of the year. When I told her that I wanted to get into fashion design, I thought she would support me because she's wanted to get into fashion since, like, birth. Last thing I expected was for her to completely trash me and say that I'd never make it!"

Nikki's brows furrowed. "I _knew_ she was a fickle bitch."

"But that's not the worst of it!" Caitlin added. "We both applied for the same internship this summer and she tried to sabotage my interview!"

"Ugh, she sounds as despicable as Tricia."

She grimaced. "According to Snapchat, they're total 'besties' now."

"Huh, looks like the bitch apple don't fall too far from the bitch tree," Jonesy noted.

"You stole the words right out of my mouth, Garcia." Nikki laughed before talking to Caitlin again. "But, seriously, Blondie, I hope you don't give either of those bitches anymore attempts at redemption. Who knows what both of them would try to do?"

"Oh, no, I cut both of them off for good. I know who my real friends are," she said, smiling as she rested her head on Jen's shoulder. "And I still got my dream internship."

"I'm happy that still worked out for you," Nikki said, her tone lacking the slightest hint of sarcasm. "You deserved it."

She immediately sat upright, her eyes full of joy. "Aww, thanks, Nikki! That means so much to me!"

She smirked. "Anytime, Caitlin… So, how's the life of my future Olympian going?"

When Jen realized Nikki was referring to her, she said, "Well, my life is fine, but in the span of a year, my sister has gone from sharing an apartment with her friends to having an affair with a married man."

"Raise your hands if you saw this one coming," Nikki said, chuckling as she and everyone else did so.

Caitlin noted, "She always seemed like the homewrecker type."

"I know." Jen sighed. "And you'll never guess who Courtney's sleeping with."

The gang leaned in.

"The doctor that helped deliver Emma Jr."

"Shut up!" Caitlin shouted, her eyes widening. "How long has this been going on?"

"I have no clue. All I know is they're a thing and she says he's gonna leave his wife for her."

"Still not surprised," Nikki said.

Jonesy laughed. "Stepsis sure knows how to pick 'em."

"Didn't her last boyfriend sell pot?" Wyatt asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Sure did," Jonesy replied before a devilish look appeared on his face. "That family discount _really_ came in handy."

"Oh, no. Tell me you did _not_ buy weed from him," Jen said as she facepalmed herself.

"Yes, _mom_ , I bought weed from him. And not just any weed," he retorted. "I got blue dream. Shit's legendary." He would never forget how mellow his high was, nor how damn good his video games were after smoking with Jude.

Jude grinned. "Duuuude, that stuff's the _best_. I still buy some every now and then, haha."

After Jonesy and Jude fist-bumped on that note, Nikki crossed her arms. "Some things never change, I suppose." She leaned over to Jonesy, however, and whispered in his ear, "I wanna try that blue dream shit, though."

"I got you covered, babe," he replied.

Minutes later, as Caitlin noticed the couple talking amongst themselves, Wyatt typing on his phone—perhaps texting Kylie Smylie?—and Jen texting her older sister and asking just _how long_ her affair's been going on, Caitlin decided to move onto the night's next activities.

"So," she asked, "who wants to dance?"

Her friends immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up.

"Dance?" Wyatt parroted as he put his phone in his pocket.

"I made a playlist, remember?" she asked. "I've got Charli XCX and Britney Spears for me, Mighty Weasels for the boys and Nikki, DawgToy for me and the girls, and a bunch of other stuff, too."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jonesy asked as he got off the couch.

"Let the music commence, bra!" Jude exclaimed, jumping to his feet and dancing wildly to silence.

Soon enough, Caitlin's playlist filled the living room speakers and the gang blissfully danced around, having not the slightest care in the world. It was Friday night, they were a little buzzed (save for Jen and Wyatt, always the parents of the group), and their long-gone sixth friend finally made her return. Carefree dancing seemed like the best option.

As a guitar-heavy track with an infectious drum beat came on, the girls danced together, with Caitlin charmingly missing the beat as she stomped about. She twirled around, Jen moved her shoulders to the rhythm, and Nikki shuffled her feet while the boys watched them in awe.

The guys all exchanged knowing glances with each other and decided to invade the girls' circle. Jen quickly found herself dancing with Wyatt.

"I don't think we've danced together in forever," she said to him.

He tried to think back to the last time they shared a dance, but came up short. "Yeah, I can't remember the last time we did."

Jen spent the next few moments with a contemplative look on her face before having a _eureka_ moment. "Ooh, I remember now! We danced at our first homecoming together."

"Oh yeah!" Wyatt smiled. "You didn't wanna dance with Theo Adams because he smelled like a sack of onions—"

"—And _you_ were trying to get away from Imani Howard because she kept pressing you to write a song for her!"

They both warmly chuckled before he said, "We both dodged a bullet _that_ night."

"I know, right?" She sent him a warm smile. "Thanks for that."

"That's what friends are for."

Meanwhile, Caitlin beamed as she and Jude shared a rhythmless dance.

"Jude, you're on fire!" she exclaimed.

"I am?" he asked, looking down. He didn't see any flames. "Oh, _wait_ ," he said, a slow laugh following. "You like my dance moves."

Caitlin giggled. "Of course. You follow the beat of your own drum." And she meant it; she wasn't making any jabs about his ability to keep the tempo; she was dancing similarly to him, anyways.

"Thanks, bra. I like it. It keeps me feeling good inside."

As Jude and Caitlin fumbled about, Jonesy purred as he grinded against Nikki, who found herself letting him guide her hips. Maybe it was the tequila talking.

"Hey, gorgeous. Long time, no dance."

"I'll say," she replied, reveling in how close their bodies were. "Almost forgot how seductive you could be with your hips."

"My hips don't lie, baby," he boasted.

"You're so corny, Jonesy… but I missed that."

"Well, I missed _you_. It's felt like forever without you, Nikki. I mean it."

She turned around, now facing him. "Yeah, it wasn't easy adjusting to being away from you and the rest of the gang everyday. You know that," she said, alluding to the countless video chats and phone calls and texts detailing just how much they longed for each other. "But we're here together now, aren't we? Isn't that what matters?"

He nodded and grinned. "We are. And I'm loving every second of it, babe."

When a more mid-tempo pop song began playing—the guys presumed it was DawgToy—the girls switched dance partners, with Nikki taking on Wyatt, Jen trying her hardest not to get thrown off by Jude's blatant disrespect for the beat, and Caitlin letting Jonesy show her how to step to the rhythm.

"You're a really good dancer, Wyatt," Nikki commented. She wasn't at all surprised that he knew his way around a beat, but he actually could _dance_ in the most formal sense of the term. "Like, almost professional."

"Tim taught me 'meat-dancing,' remember?" he asked, memories of his days learning dance lessons in the meat locker returning. He almost shuddered at the thought, so grateful that he'd assisted a local radio DJ this summer instead of flipping burgers and dealing with Tim again.

"Oh, yeah," Nikki said. "He was strange as hell."

"Agreed." Her dry one-liners were something his life had been lacking for the past year and a half. He missed their banter. "By the way, it's great to have you back, Nikki. I missed having someone to run to Grind Me with me and listen to my new demos."

"Yeah, receiving MP3 files through emails just doesn't have the same effect."

"Nah, it really doesn't," he said.

"Maybe sometime this week we can go grab some coffee and I can hear what you've been working on," she offered, ready to settle into old routines again.

"Sounds great. I'm down for it."

"Good."

Meanwhile, Jen gave up on her goal of getting Jude to dance as smoothly as Wyatt had.

"Jude, you've got to…" She sighed. "Never mind."

"Am I doing it right yet?" he asked, rigidly moving against the downbeats.

"Not even close," she said. She didn't know what was worse: him floundering around like before or stiffly attempting to stay within a 4-count beat. Maybe it was best to let him do what he knew how to do well. "But, you know what, it's okay to keep doing what you did before."

He immediately flailed around again. "Thank God, bra! I felt so caged in and stuff."

Despite prior frustration, she let out a laugh.

Jonesy, on the other hand, had better luck than Jen in getting Caitlin to dance.

"That's it, princess! You got it!" he exclaimed, watching her freely move to the rhythm, no longer obligated to count "1-and-2-and-3-and-4" out loud.

" _Eee!_ I'm doing it!" she squealed with a look of pure joy on her face. "Thanks, Jonesy!"

"Anytime, dollface," he said with a wink. Even if it was a DawgToy song playing, Jonesy vibed with the song regardless, the liquor loosening him up even further. Plus, he was used to hearing their music at this point, since he'd caught Nikki listening to their songs on multiple occasions (and teased her every time). "You're a natural at this."

"Aww, thanks," she said, becoming more comfortable with her movements as the seconds passed.

With another song came another rotation of dance partners. This time, Nikki didn't even attempt to wrangle Jude like Jen did; she just let him be free.

" _Someone's_ having fun tonight," she commented as she watched him bounce around.

"Totally. Might be the most fun I've had all summer," he said.

"I thought you had fun with that surfer girl of yours," she said, raising her pierced eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah, I definitely did. She rocked my world," he replied. "But you're the one who's been my best bra since we were, like, four—not her."

She gently pushed his shoulder with a soft grin. "Aw, Jude, don't make me get all sentimental and shit."

He shrugged. "Can't help it. I missed going to Mighty Weasels concerts with ya. And I missed the way you'd bandage me up after I wipe out on my board."

She laughed. "Jude?"

"Yeah?"

" _Everyone's_ bandaged you up before."

"True, but I laugh so hard with you that the pain goes away the fastest."

"Really?"

"Totally, bra."

Meanwhile, Jen and Jonesy were both able to find peace in dancing with each other (for once in their lives).

"You're pretty good at this, stepsis," Jonesy said, admiring the way she moved.

"I could say the same about you, stepbro," Jen replied as she noticed his grin and how happy-go-lucky he's been all night. "You know, I haven't seen you this ecstatic in a while."

"I think you know why," Jonesy said, glancing over at Nikki.

"True. I also think it's sweet how much you care about her." From the bottom of Jen's heart, she meant it. Long gone were the days of her naive crush on Jonesy; any trace of her liking him as more than just a friend had been replaced with the annoyance of being siblings and the comfort of being lifelong friends. Besides, Nikki could handle Jonesy better than anyone in the group.

"I can't _not_ care about her. She's always on my mind, sis."

" _Aww_ ," she cooed.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in. The Jonesmeister loves someone other than himself."

"Thank God," she said with a chuckle. "I was almost worried you'd be a _total_ narcissist. Good to know you're only a partial one."

Ignoring her snide remark, he replied, "For the record—and because I'm still buzzed—I love you too, Jen. You're a pain in the ass, but I couldn't ask for a better person to be my sister."

With a straight face, she said, "And you're just as big a pain in mine." She cracked a smile. "And you're a really great brother, y'know, when you're not pranking me."

Caitlin and Wyatt danced gracefully with each other, thanks to Wyatt's already-present skill and Caitlin's more refined ability (courtesy of Jonesy).

She giggled. "This reminds me of when you danced with me on my sixteenth birthday."

"Oh yeah, it kind of does," he said. "Good times."

"Yeah," she replied before her mind wandered off. "So, how are you feeling about this whole Kylie Smylie thing?"

His grin was broad. "Excited, to be honest." But then it faded a little. "But I'm nervous that I might screw this up. I haven't exactly had the best track record with girls," he elaborated, recalling former girlfriends Serena and Marlowe, and even that weird time where he and Caitlin found themselves attracted to each other. "What if I'm not the right guy for her?"

"Wyatt, you're the sweetest guy around. And you've got way more experience with girls now than when you started out with Serena. _Kylie_ would be lucky to have _you_." Her eyes lit up. "I personally think something great's gonna come from this."

As he moved with her, he couldn't help but appreciate her sincerity. It cleared most of the doubt from his mind. "Thanks, Caitlin. You really made me feel better."

"Anytime, Wyatt. Just tell Kylie I said _hi_ when you see her, okay?"

"Will do."

The song switched again, this time to something with a slower beat, and everyone found themselves dancing alongside the person they started with.

"Looks like I'm dancing with the prettiest girl in the room again," Jonesy said as he grabbed Nikki by the waist.

"And I'm with the most handsome guy ever," she replied, draping her arms over his shoulders. After he leaned down and stole a brief (yet intoxicating) kiss from her, she kissed him in return. "Ain't life grand?"

"Life would be freaking fantastic if we could hook up right about now," he said, winking at her. "We've got a lot of making up to do, baby."

"And I take it you wanna start now."

"Only if you're down."

She paused, giving his proposition some thought. "Okay. Meet me in the bathroom down the hall, Casanova." Before she walked off, she teased, "You better give me what I've been missing."

He couldn't help ogling her butt as her hips switched away; that girl _always_ got him going. After a minute of dancing by himself—partially doing a victory dance, partially stalling to not look so obvious—he walked off to desperately "use" the bathroom. As soon as he went inside, he shut the door and they pounced on each other with sloppy kisses, so eager to reacquaint themselves.

Beyond Caitlin's bathroom, though, the rest of the gang continued to dance and talk amongst each other, not realizing that two of their friends had gone missing in action. A couple songs later, however, the couple returned to the living room.

Jen stopped dancing with Caitlin and the boys long enough to finally notice that Jonesy and Nikki had been absent for a while… and now they were back… with their hair slightly askew and faces wickedly content. The realization soon dawned on her. " _Please_ tell me you two didn't just have sex."

Though the music continued playing in the background, the others turned their attention to the couple.

"We _didn't_ have sex, mom, thank you very much," Jonesy said, setting the record straight. "I went down—"

Jen uttered, "Oh, God!"

"They do _not_ need the specifics of our sex life," Nikki interjected.

Jonesy paused to think. "No, they don't. Especially because _somebody_ always acts prude when we talk about sex."

For a moment, Wyatt thought he was about to be singled out. "That's because you always tease me about it, Jonesy!"

"Not you, bro," Jonesy clarified. "Jen."

And he was back to being a pain in Jen's ass again. "I'm not _prude_! I'm just… I…"

"See? Prude."

Nikki swatted at the back of Jonesy's head. "Leave her alone. Besides, It's not like you were always the stud you claimed to be."

"Pshht, the Jonesmeister has always been a chick-magnet."

She rolled her eyes. "Once upon a time, _everyone_ in this room was a virgin who'd never even touched someone of the opposite sex—even you, Romeo."

Jen smiled in Nikki's direction, thanking her for coming to her defense. "Thanks, Nik. Besides, just because I'm shy when it comes to the subject doesn't mean I'm a prude."

"Exactly," Nikki said. "And, for the record, you shouldn't feel bad for not having sex yet. It's not all it's cracked up to be."

"Wait, what?" Jonesy asked, fearing that she was taking digs at their sex life.

She ignored him, clearing up the confusion with her next sentence anyways. "People hype up sex so much, and then you have your first couple times and they're usually fucking mediocre. Mainly because nobody knows what the hell they're doing." She paused for effect. " _But_ when you're with somebody you're really into, it does make all the difference. You learn more about each other's bodies, and it gets way better down the road. Trust me."

Jonesy grinned, his confidence in their sex life restored.

Jude applauded her. "Bra, that was way better than that sex ed class they make ya take in high school."

"Sex ed was such a waste of time. They don't even tell you the important stuff, like where the clit is," Jonesy said, rolling his eyes. "They just go on and on and on about abstinence and using condoms and not getting anybody pregnant."

"I mean, that stuff is pretty important," Wyatt noted.

"Well, yeah, all the crap's relevant, but you basically have to go digging through porn for all the things they don't tell you."

"Or you can consult something on the internet that _doesn't_ involve paid actors humping each other," Nikki suggested.

He shrugged.

As Caitlin turned down the music in the background, she asked, "So am I supposed to be excited about sex or really let-down?"

Jonesy and Jude chorused, "Excited," while Nikki warned, "Just be cautious."

"Okay," Caitlin said, pausing for a moment. "So, do you guys wanna watch a movie now?"

"Sure," Wyatt said. "What do you have in mind?"

"I have a few comedies that I found on Netflix! I've got _Mean Girls_ , _Pitch Perfect_ , and _The Heat_."

Jonesy pouted. "Hey, those are chick flicks!"

"Yeah, those are basically romcoms," Wyatt added.

"Not all of them!" Caitlin insisted. " _The Heat_ is, like, an action movie!"

"Really?" Jude asked.

She nodded.

"...You guys wanna watch _The Heat_?" Jude asked, looking at his friends for confirmation.

Nikki shrugged. "I don't mind."

Jen agreed. "Doesn't matter to me."

Jonesy and Wyatt made similar remarks.

"Yay! _The Heat_ it is," Caitlin said.

The gang cozied together on Caitlin's couch as she turned on the movie. For two hours, they focused some of their attention on the screen, never truly gluing their eyes to the movie because they always had some sidebar conversation going on. During an unexpected scene involving excess blood, Jonesy had to divert his eyes from the screen, with Nikki consoling him with caresses and conversation as he looked away. However, once it was over and she told him it was safe to look at the movie, he got back to laughing hard at the wild scenes and crass jokes, as did the rest of the gang.

Jude's stomach began growling towards the end of the film, however. "Dudes, my stomach's doing whale calls. I need some snackage."

Caitlin got off the couch and rummaged through the boxes of pizza and wings from earlier. "It looks like we ate everything earlier."

"I can go help you look for snacks in the kitchen," Jen offered.

"Okay, cool," Caitlin said, walking into the kitchen with Jen, inspecting the cabinets until they found something good to eat.

In the middle of Jen's search, she exclaimed, "EW!"

The rest of the gang walked into the kitchen to see what the matter was.

"What's wrong?" Caitlin asked her.

Jen held up a jar of expired nacho cheese and the rest of the gang flinched.

"That's disgusting," Wyatt said, his eyebrows furrowing.

Jude's stomach continued to growl. "If that's the only thing, I'll risk it."

"Jude, no!" Caitlin interjected. "I _know_ I have more than gross cheese to eat."

"Okay."

"I'll give you five bucks if you eat some," Jonesy offered.

"Eww," Caitlin said as she placed a few bags of chips on the table. "Eat these instead."

"Actually, I think I'mma take Jonesy up on his offer," Jude said, strolling over to the jar of cheese. "I like the sound of five bucks."

"Jude, _no_ ," Jen pleaded.

"Jude, _yes_ ," Jonesy insisted, egging him on.

He grabbed a spoon from Caitlin's utensil drawer, unscrewed the lid, and grabbed a spoonful of the expired content. After he tasted a couple spoonfuls, he said, "Huh, it's not that bad, especially if ya like blue cheese." He chuckled.

"Nice," Nikki deadpanned, fighting the urge to wince a little bit.

Jonesy walked towards Jude and gave him the money he promised him. "Well, you went through with the dare. Here you go."

"Thanks, dude," Jude said, putting the cash in his pocket. A few minutes later, his stomach rumbled, but this time it wasn't from hunger. He sprinted in the direction of the bathroom, shouting, "Make way! I think I'm gonna puke!"

Jen shook her head. "That bathroom is just a hotbed of activity tonight, isn't it?"

Wyatt sighed. "Unfortunately."

Caitlin winced, but didn't complain. "I'll take care of it tomorrow." (And by _take care of it_ , she meant helping her maid make sure it was tidy again.)

Nikki crossed her arms as she spoke to Jonesy. "You just _had_ to dare Jude, didn't you?"

"Hey, it was him that took up the offer!"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but you know that Jude will literally eat and do anything. He's gone skydiving naked, taken a bath in a fish tank, eaten sea monkeys, sold a moldy piece of meat, not showered for two weeks straight…"

Wyatt furrowed his brow. "That guy has done everything short of eating sushi."

"Okay, but no sane person eats sushi, Wyatt," Jonesy interjected.

"Suit yourself."

"You know, despite how crazy you guys are and the stupid shit you two get into, I missed you and Jude pulling shit like this," Nikki admitted, dropping her arms to their sides.

Jonesy smiled tenderly. "I missed you scolding us for _doing_ this shit."

Wyatt, sensing that they might share a kiss at any moment, asked, "I should probably walk away now, shouldn't I?"

"Yep," Jonesy replied.

" _Actually_ , I was just about to say that I missed how you're above this stupid shit, Wyatt," Nikki said, giving him a pat on the back.

He warmly grinned. "Thanks, Nikki."

Jude stumbled back into the kitchen, looking disheveled, but not in the satisfied way Jonesy and Nikki had experienced earlier. "Note to self: never mix tequila, expired cheese, and chicken wings ever again. It's _so_ not fun."

"Good to know," Jen said, cringing at the thought.

* * *

In the early hours of the morning, the group of six found themselves sprawled on the king bed in Caitlin's guest room, having tiring themselves out after a massive pillow fight started by Jude. Though they cracked jokes intermittently, they also talked about their hopes and dreams and wishes for the future as the television played in the background.

"Wow, I can't believe we're finally going off to college," Jen said, her mind almost spinning at the realization.

Jude said, "It totally trips me out. Bra, it feels like just yesterday I was drawing in a coloring book and eating a bunch of candy."

"That's because you _were_ drawing in a coloring book and eating a bunch of candy, Jude," Wyatt corrected.

"Oh, yeah." He chuckled to himself.

"We're so close to figuring out what we wanna be and trying to get our lives together," Caitlin added, her tone becoming wistful. "I just hope we don't drift apart while we're in school, because I really love you guys."

"We love you too, princess," Jonesy said. "We're not gonna let a few years get in the way of the squad. We're better than that."

"You know what? Jonesy's right," Nikki said. "All we have to do is make the time for each other, no matter how busy we are. A quick 'hi' here, a video chat there, and some texts every now and then to keep the groupchat alive. Trust me, you guys reaching out to me as often as you did is what kept me sane up north. Now we just have to do that for each other in college."

"And we _have_ to hang out with each other as much as we can during breaks," Jen replied.

"Oooh, totally! Especially during winter break!" Caitlin exclaimed. "We've got to get together a few times during winter break!"

Jonesy waggled his eyebrows. " _And_ come see my hockey games when you get a chance."

"I'll see your hockey games if you come to my soccer games," Jen bargained.

"You've got yourself a deal, sis."

"Well, I'm free all year round, so I'll try to stop by everyone's schools and stuff," Jude said, reminding everyone of his gap year.

"Definitely come and visit me so we can talk about what to do after your year off!" Jen reminded him. Though she was disappointed (but not surprised) that Jude would be taking a year off from his studies, she offered to help him look at schools that interested him so that he could get on a good path. If she wasn't studying business, maybe she'd become a life coach (on top of her Olympic aspirations).

"Maybe college won't be so bad after all, y'know, now that we're all getting our plans together," Caitlin said, feeling more optimistic about the road ahead.

"We've got this, dudes," Jonesy said, nuzzling against Nikki in the process. "We never let distance stop us before."

"That's true," Nikki replied, cozying up to him.

"Aw, I wanna cuddle with someone," Jude said.

"Come on, Jude. Cuddle with us." Nikki patted the space beside her.

"Sweeeeet," he replied as he made himself comfortable beside Jonesy and Nikki.

Soon enough, Caitlin, Jen, and Wyatt joined in on the action and they all found themselves snuggled against one another, warm and content with the bond they shared, with having the group whole and made of six again. And with that warmth, they slowly drifted off to sleep... until Jude, wide-awake with a mind of swirling thoughts, forced them awake again.

"Okay, since you guys are all here, I've got some new alien theories I wanna share with you guys."

"Dude, It's _3am_ ; go to sleep," Jonesy groaned, his voice heavy with sleepiness.

"Yeah, man," Wyatt agreed, his words sluggish, "you could've done this when we were all wide awake."

"Even if we were wide awake, would we still have listened?" Nikki asked, her tiredness not undermining the bluntness of her words.

Jude frowned. "Harsh, bra."

She snorted. "Sorry, Jude. When you get me back, you also get the truth."

A grin sat upon his face as he put into perspective. "I'll take that." After a long-standing silence, wherein the gang fell asleep again, he pressed on, "Now, about these alien dudes…"

"JUDE!" the gang yelled.

"Dudes, I'm just tryna have your backs when the Martians invade earth!"

Jonesy threw a pillow at him. "I don't care, Jude! Go to sleep!"

After it hit him in the face, he pleaded, "But the aliens never sleep! What if they come for us tonight?!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Wyatt muffled into his pillow.

"Ditto," Jen groaned.

"Fine, suit yourselves," Jude said. "I'll be up keeping watch over ya."

"Have fun with that," Caitlin murmured, partially convinced this was some weird dream she'd recall in the morning.

Dream or no dream, his alien rambles brought the "drunk squad night" to a close, a staple of their previous sleepovers. From the tipsy gossip-spilling to chatting through every movie they'd ever watched to Jude's extraterrestrial paranoia, not a damn thing changed.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ _: I'm 1000% sure this is my longest one-shot so far, but I'm proud of it. I wanted to capture how the gang just interacts with each other so naturally (and humorously), and I feel as though I've succeeded in that._

 _The part with Jude eating expired cheese came from a squad prompt I found on doctorlightwood's tumblr, which went something like this: "which friend eats 3-year-expired nacho cheese at 2 am for $2.50 and which friend offered the $2.50?" I switched some details up, but obvi this is some Jonesy and Jude shit._

 _Jude's late-night thoughts about aliens, however, came from some headcanons that I exchanged with pearlyoudork on tumblr. So, yeah, gotta give credit where it's due. Hope you all enjoyed this story. So far, I'm on a roll in 2017. Maybe this is my year after all, lol._


End file.
